The present invention relates to a method for storing and informing at least one property of a wireless communication device to a mobile communication network. The present invention also relates to a wireless communication device comprising means for informing at least one property of said wireless communication device to a mobile communication network, and to a wireless communication system comprising at least a mobile communication network, a wireless communication device, and means for informing at least one property of said wireless communication device to said mobile communication network.
The number of wireless communication devices, such as mobile terminals and particularly personal portable mobile phones in use has constantly increased. These devices operate in a modern public land mobile network (PLMN) based on a cellular network, such as the standardised GSM system (Global System for Mobile Communications) as well as the GSM 1800 and PCS 1900 systems. Also, network operators constantly endeavour to develop their services offered to users of wireless communication devices. Such a service is e.g. the provision of data transmission connections to services of not only a public switched telephone network (PSTN) but also a general packet data network (PDN) and an integrated services digital network (ISDN). By using these data transmission connections, e.g. providers of services in the Internet network can develop their services to users of wireless communication devices, such as mobile phones and portable personal computers (PC) that can be coupled to them e.g. by means of PCMCIA cards.
The increased use of multimedia applications sets demands on not only the PSTN network but also particularly on systems of mobile communication networks, such as the PLMN network. Thus, the systems must be applicable to the transmission of not only text and data but also graphics, audio and moving images. Applications include video conferencing, real-time transmission of video images in connection with medical examinations, transmission of high-resolution images, communication in e.g. company intranet networks, interactive games, and transmission of music. These applications are particularly characterised by their demand for a connection with a sufficiently high speed data communication capacity between the communication devices in the communication network, and by the fact that the data transmission is often conducted in short sequences.
For example in the present GSM system, data transmission between communication devices, such as a mobile station and a base transceiver station, on one logical radio channel is conducted at the rate of 9.6 kbit/s. A high speed circuit switched data (HSCSD) service has also been developed for the GSM system, where the data transmission capacity is as high as 64 kbit/s. Thus, this service uses all the eight logical radio channels of the physical radio channel for data transmission between the mobile station and the base transceiver station. In this way, the user of the mobile station can be offered digital services to an ISDN network and the communication devices of its service providers at a rate of 64 kbit/s. Another system based on the GSM system is the general packet radio service (GPRS) system. This system improves the efficiency of communication, because the same logical radio channel can be used by several different mobile subscribers. For example, data transmission between a mobile station and a base transceiver station takes place only when necessary, and the logical radio channel is not reserved for communication between only one mobile station and base transceiver station. There is a so-called virtual data transmission connection between the mobile station and the GPRS system. The data transmission capacity of the current GPRS system on one logical radio channel is as high as 21 kbit/s, and as high as 171 kbit/s when all the logical radio channels are used. Future systems supporting wireless multimedia include the wide-band UMTS system (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) aiming at high speed which can achieve instantaneous data rates as high as several megabits/s.
In third-generation systems, the concepts of a bearer service and a service are introduced. A bearer service generally corresponds to the older concept of a traffic channel, defining for example the data rate and quality of service (QoS) that will be provided by the system for transferring information between a mobile station and some other part of the system. For example, a bearer service between the mobile station and a base station is a radio bearer service, and a bearer service between a radio network controller and a core network is an Iu bearer service (Interface UMTS bearer). The interface between a radio network controller and a core network is called the Iu interface. A service, on the other hand, is provided by a mobile communication system to fulfil a specific task, e.g. data services carry out data transfer in the communication system, call services are associated with phone calls, multimedia, etc. A major task for the operation of a third-generation mobile communications system is to manage (set up, maintain and terminate, as necessary) the bearer services so that each requested service can be provided to the mobile stations without wasting the available bandwidth.
The quality of service level defines, for instance, how packet data units (PDU) are processed in a GPRS network during transmission. For example, the quality of service levels defined for the connection addresses are used to control the order of transmission, buffering (packet queues) and discarding of packets in the support node and in the gateway support node, especially when there are two or more connections which have packets to be transmitted simultaneously. Different quality of service levels define different delays for packet transmissions between different ends of the connection, different bit rates and the number of discarded packet data units.
Also in e.g. circuit switched networks, such as high speed circuit switched networks, it is possible to define several quality of service levels for each connection. Different quality of service levels can be achieved e.g. by reserving a different number of logical channels for a connection.
For each connection (connection address), it is possible to request a different quality of service level. For example in e-mail connections, a relatively long delay can be allowed in the message transmission. However, interactive applications, for example, require high-speed packet transmission. In some applications, as in file transfer, it is important that the packet transmission is error free, wherein packet data units are re-transmitted in error situations, if necessary.
For using multimedia services, a communication device, such as a wireless communication device, sets up a data transmission connection with a PLMN network and the server of a communication device of this network providing the multimedia services. Such a service may be a message service, such as a short message transmission service (SMS) or a paging service. The destination communication device with which communication is established and its server may also be located in another PLMN network.
Not all the communication devices of a communication network, such as the mobile stations connected with a PLMN network, have the capabilities to support e.g. video calls, faster data transmission connections or data transmission in packet form. However, it must also be possible to use devices of older generations and/or devices with limited options in a communication network supporting communication devices with more varied options. Consequently, the network should be able to connect conventional mobile phones which, in addition to transmission of speech, support only data transmission in text form, such as SMS messages, and wireless communication devices with which it is possible to use e.g. services of the Internet network. One current example of a wireless communication device with extended capabilities is the Nokia 9110 Communicator, in which the properties of a cellular mobile telephone (CMT) and a personal digital assistant (PDA) are combined. Hereafter in this text, this device and future developments thereof will be referred to using the term Communicator. In the future it is also likely that wireless communication devices will be adapted for the use of multimedia, i.e. there will be multimedia communication devices, suitable for the reception of graphics, audio and moving images. Communication devices that can be connected to the PSTN network are also being developed to include for example telephones that transmit calls via the Internet network, or which also transmit video images.
One problem in prior art systems is that the mobile communication network is not aware of all the properties of the communication devices it is intended to connect. Therefore the mobile communication network may try to connect a call to a receiving communication device even if that device cannot handle the call properly. For example, the call might be a data call with a desired data rate of 14400 bit/s, but the receiving communication device is only able to send and receive at 9600 bit/s.
Another problem with prior art systems is that the communication devices of service providers in a communication network do not know all the properties of the receiving communication device, which affect data transmission and the presentation of information. Thus, for example a server offering multimedia services may transmit information to a mobile station, a Communicator or a wireless multimedia communication device in a form that is not compatible with the device, or the information cannot be received at all. Thus, for example, the resolution of the graphics to be transmitted may be too high for the re-production capacity of the display of the receiving device; the moving video image or image information to be transmitted may be coded in a form that is not recognised by the receiving device; or the interactive application contains e.g. a form to be filled in but entering data is not possible with the receiving device, or it requires a pointing device to fill the form but the receiving device is not equipped with a pointing device. However, if data transmission is conducted in spite of the above-mentioned problems of prior art, this will result in a waste of capacity available in the communication network. The problems of the receiving device, due to incompatibility, will lead to failure situations or delays in the network, which may load or hamper other communication in the network. If the multimedia service is available only in a receiving communication device with certain options, this will have the result that either the user of the device will not receive the desired services, the device must be replaced with a suitable one, or several devices must be acquired for using different services.
It is known to connect a mobile phone or a radio card to a personal computer. This enables the personal computer to communicate with e.g. another personal computer, a server, or a communication device, such as a mobile phone or a Communicator. Furthermore, the personal computer may or may not include some peripheral devices, such as a pointing device, a high resolution display, a sound card, etc. The storage capacity (hard disk, random access memory, etc.) of the personal computer may also vary.
In order to function correctly, multimedia applications which include real time video, require the processor of the wireless communication device and/or the personal computer to operate at high speed. If a user attempts to use such an application, there should be means to check if the personal computer and the communication device connected to it are capable of fulfilling the performance requirements of the application. In prior art systems, a great deal of signalling is required between the personal computer and the server in which the application is stored to check if it is possible to execute the application.
In a prior art system, the user of the personal computer first establishes a call via the communication device to communicate with the server in which the application is stored. When the call is set up, the personal computer and the server negotiate concerning the properties of the personal computer, the communication device, and the requirements of the application. As a result of this negotiation process, the application is started, if the properties of the personal computer and the communication device fulfil the requirements. Otherwise, the call is advantageously terminated. It is also possible that such negotiation cannot be performed and the connection may not be properly carried out. Useless transmission of irrelevant information may also overload the communication network.